United With Christ

I- Introduction

Being “in Christ” is at the heart of the Christian experience, describing the believer as a member of the body of Christ, participating in his life and eternal destiny. To understand every verse of Paul containing the expression “in Christ,” it is essential to fully grasp the central theological concept of this expression, which signifies “a mystical and salvific union with Jesus Christ, in which the believer is transformed, justified, and participates in his life, death, and resurrection, symbolizing a new spiritual state (a new creation) and the source of all Christian power and life”.

Without an adequate understanding of this central concept, Paul’s thought risks being misunderstood, fragmented, or diminished.

Concept of “We In Christ”

The word “Christ” comes from the Greek “Christos,” which means “anointed,” equivalent to the Hebrew “Messiah”.

“In Christ” emphasizes Jesus’s role as the Savior anointed by God to fulfill his mission.

The expression “In Christ” is a cornerstone of Pauline thought, describing the fundamental state of the believer in relation to Jesus, a spiritual reality born with the New Testament itself. “We in Christ”, which represents our positional union, is our legal and spiritual status in Christ through faith. It is our position in Christ before God, an act of God that incorporates us into His Son.

I would venture to say that, to properly understand every Pauline occurrence of the expression “in Christ”, one must have previously integrated the central theological concept of “Union With Christ” as a new condition of existence. However, this theological concept of Paul originates from his epistles, which convey the very meaning of this expression.

“We in Christ” represents only one dimension, therefore an incomplete aspect of our “union with Christ”.

The Pauline expression “We in Christ” constitutes only one aspect of his thought on “Union”. The Pauline concept of Union with Christ has a much broader meaning that even encompasses the theological dimension of the expression “In Christ”.

“Christ in Us” is another dimension that complements the first dimension, “We in Christ”.

Concept of “Christ in Us”

“Christ in Us”, which represents the experiential union, is the living presence of Christ through the Holy Spirit that transforms, sanctifies, and empowers us to live a new life, merging human identity with divine identity—a dynamic process of personal transformation through divine grace. It is the active presence of Jesus in our lives through the Holy Spirit, which transforms our inner being.

“Christ in us” is another dimension that complements the first dimension, “We in Christ”.

These two concepts are inseparable and complementary, and one cannot exist without the other. We cannot experience “Christ in us” without first being “in Christ”, and the full realization of what it means to be “in Christ” is experienced through the presence of “Christ in us”. I would even say that they constitute the journey of our salvation, leading it to its fullness.

Let us now move on to reflecting on the profound meaning of these two concepts in Paul’s thought.

II- Reflection

II-1 Union with Christ

II-1-1 Preliminaries

Union with Christ, or the Mystery of Christ, is often considered by Protestant theologians, particularly Reformed and Evangelical ones, as the central and fundamental doctrine or the cornerstone of Pauline thought because it:

Encompasses the entirety of salvation and is not limited to a single dimension, but integrates all aspects of redemption, which are justification (being forgiven), sanctification (being transformed), and adoption (becoming a child of God)
Is the source of the Christian life, flowing from this union through the Spirit, by which the believer receives the strength to live a holy life, not through their own efforts but through “Christ who lives in us”
Is the foundation of the Church, through which Paul describes believers as the body of Christ, and the Church as the fullness of Him who fills all in all
Explains the faith by which this “union” is realized, a faith that is itself the secret work of the Holy Spirit (according to Calvin’s thesis).

Romans, Ephesians, and Galatians are the three main epistles of Paul that address Union with Christ.
According to James Dunn and N.T. Wright, theologians specializing in the New Testament, the Epistle to the Romans is one of the places where “Union with Christ” receives its most solid theological structure, even if the expression is not omnipresent; the theology of union with Christ is deeper there than in any other letter. It can indeed be affirmed that while Ephesians is the pinnacle of the celebration of this union, Romans is its structural foundation. Here are the main theological structures of “Union with Christ” found in Romans:

The Narrative Structure of the Gospel (Romans 1-3): The Universality of Sin, Justification by Faith.
The Structure of the Divine Solution through Grace (Romans 3-4).
The Structure of Union with Christ (Romans 5-8): The New Adam, Baptism and Death to Sin, Life in the Spirit.
The Structure of the Covenant and the People of God (Romans 9-11): The Wild Branch and the Cultivated Branch, an olive tree metaphor (Romans 11) illustrating how the Gentiles are “grafted” into the people of God, while maintaining hope for the restoration of Israel.
The Practical Structure of the Christian Life (Romans 12-15): Living sacrifice of believers’ bodies and the renewal of their minds, Brotherly relations and love, tolerance towards those weak in faith.

While the books of Ephesians and Galatians describe union with Christ in crucial dimensions, Ephesians emphasizes the mystical and corporate unity (the Church as the Body of Christ) and the spiritual inheritance, while Galatians focuses on union through faith, freeing us from the law and the flesh for a new life in Christ, highlighting justification and freedom. Some theologians would say that Ephesians views union as a cosmic and ecclesial reality where we are embedded in Christ; Galatians emphasizes the act of faith that unites us to Christ for justification and freedom. However, regarding the grounding of this union in the salvation of humanity (anthropology and soteriology), Romans remains unparalleled.

Let us now address the two fundamental dimensions of our union with Christ.

Although these two expressions “We in Christ” and “Christ in Us” are understood as two sides of the same coin, they do not mean exactly the same thing. The metaphor of “Two Sides of the Same Coin” is not entirely accurate. Theologians often use the analogy of a sponge in the ocean: the sponge is in the ocean (it is surrounded), and the ocean is in the sponge (it is permeated).

Although distinct, “We in Christ” and “Christ in Us” are nevertheless inseparable, and together they express the fullness of union with Christ in Paul’s writings. These two expressions, often intertwined in Scripture, describe God’s complete work for us: He places us in Christ, and then makes Christ the living power within us.
Their distinction is important in Pauline thought. If we only consider “We In Christ,” faith can become purely intellectual or legalistic (a simple change of status in heaven). If we only consider “Christ In Us,” we risk falling into an emotional mysticism centered on our own feelings.

II-1-2 We in Christ

Paul is neither a doctor nor a theologian. As an apostle, he never wrote a systematic treatise or a conceptual epistle aimed at stating abstract definitions. He is addressing already established churches, already baptized believers who have already received oral catechesis: “I remind you of the gospel I preached to you…” (1 Corinthians 15:1).

The expression “in Christ” was therefore an integral part of the living language of apostolic proclamation, and not a concept invented in writing. Its theological meaning is formulated by theologians based on these epistles.

To be “in Christ” means to be united with Jesus through faith. Paul uses this expression very often (for example: 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come!”).
To be “in Christ” is to participate in his death (death to sin), in his resurrection (new life), in his divine life (Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”).

Baptism is the sacramental sign of this entry “in Christ”.

To be “in Christ” means no longer defining oneself solely by one’s past, one’s flaws, or one’s successes, but by this fundamental relationship with God. The Christian receives a new identity: he is a child of God, reconciled with God, a member of the body of Christ (the Church).
To be “in Christ” means to be in union with Christ, to transform one’s concrete life: to think “according to Christ”, to love as Christ loved, to act in the Spirit of Christ (Philippians 2:5 “Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus”).
To be “in Christ” is to be sheltered in him (Romans 8:39: neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord). Eternal life has already begun.

As already mentioned above, “We in Christ” expresses the objective and positional dimension. This objective and positional reality is independent of and external to the feelings and efforts of those who are in Christ:

Legal standing: The status of being uncondemned does not depend on an inner feeling, but on a definitive divine verdict pronounced upon those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1, 3:24).
New creation: This transformation is a creative act of God, not the result of moral effort or personal discipline (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:10). There is a transfer from Adam to Christ (Romans 5:12-21, 1 Corinthians 15:20-22, 45-48).
Source of external blessings even before being experienced by believers (Ephesians 1:3, 1 Corinthians 1:30).
Free gift of grace: Access to this objective reality explicitly excludes personal merit or works (Ephesians 2:8-9).

My position: In Christ, I am safe, because I share in his victory.

I began this section with this sentence:

I am a Christian, so Paul doesn’t tell me how to enter into Christ; he teaches me how to live “in Christ” because I am already “in Christ”. In the Christian faith, being “in Christ” begins at the moment of regeneration, that is, when God brings new life into a person.

Regeneration is the work of God by which a person passes from spiritual death to life, receives a new heart, and is able to believe in God and live for Him (1 Peter 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”).

At the moment of regeneration, the following events occur:

Union with Christ: The regenerated person is now in Christ, and Christ is in him.
New birth: This is not a moral improvement, but a new creation.
Justification and adoption: Sins are forgiven, the person is declared righteous in Christ, and becomes a child of God.
The gift of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in the believer and seals this union with Christ (Ephesians 1:13: “In Him you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise”).

It is regeneration that truly brings us “into Christ”. This is a theological concept, and it is often legitimate to say that not all Christians are aware, at the moment of their new birth, of being “in Christ”. One can truly be “in Christ” without yet being fully aware of it. It’s like a child being born into a family: he is a full member even before he understands what that means.

II-1-3 Reality Precedes Perception

In Christian theology (especially in Pauline thought), being “in Christ” is, above all, an objective spiritual reality established by God and independent of the believer’s level of understanding.
The expression “being in Christ” is not intuitive for many Christians and requires catechesis or biblical teaching to be understood. Without instruction, the believer can experience the reality without grasping the concept.

There is a difference between being in Christ, which is the reality, and knowing that one is in Christ, which is part of consciousness.

The reality, because “being in Christ” is the work of God, instantaneous and given at regeneration.
The consciousness, because “knowing that one is in Christ” is a pedagogical work, progressive and appropriated through faith and teaching.

“Being in Christ” is therefore a theological reality that not all Christians conceptualize at the moment of their new birth. But this does not detract from the fact that this union is real from the moment of regeneration, even if it is understood later.

I would summarize this true perception with two following simple sentences:

I didn’t learn to enter into Christ, I learned to recognize that I was already in Him.
Grace brought me into Christ, and spiritual growth taught me to recognize that I was already there.

The concept “Reality precedes perception” is unanimously described by the various theological doctrines (Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist or Reformed…). They remain faithful to their theological thought, despite the differences in language; their understanding of union with Christ strongly aligns with the concept “reality precedes perception”. They agree that many Christians do not fully grasp the concept of being “in Christ” at the time of their new birth, as this understanding is often a gradual process of spiritual growth, theological teaching, and personal experience, rather than an instantaneous moment of immediate comprehension, even though baptism symbolizes this radical change. There is therefore a remarkable convergence.

I-1-4 Christ in Us

The expression “Christ in you” (or “Christ in me” or “Christ in us”) is indeed a typically Pauline expression. It constitutes the other side of his theology of union: if “we in Christ” describes our position, “Christ in us” describes his indwelling and his action.

Let us recall that in the introduction, the concept of “Christ in us” represents a subjective and experiential dimension of Pauline thought, “Union with Christ”.

The concept of “Christ in us” is rooted in Scripture, particularly in the epistles of Paul (Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”, and Colossians 1:27 “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”).

In this concept, the subjective and experimental dimension refers to the believer’s inner, personal, and transformative experience, where Christ lives not merely in a doctrinal or external way, but intimately in their heart and mind, transforming their perception, desires, and daily life, and manifesting himself through a living union and a personal experience of faith. This is the aspect of faith lived rather than simply believed or practiced, involving a personal relationship and communion with God, often linked to the experience of the Holy Spirit, as illustrated in Ephesians 3:17, which speaks of “Christ dwelling in your hearts through faith”.

In this subjective and experiential dimension, the main scriptural foundations are:

“Christ in us” makes the union with Christ mystical: The believer is not merely a disciple, but united with Christ, sharing his life (2 Corinthians 5:17).
“Christ in us” inwardly transforms the believer: The experience is not only emotional, but a metamorphosis of human nature (Romans 8:10-11, 2 Corinthians 3:18).
“Christ in us” brings new life: A concrete experience where Christ becomes the source of life, power, and daily guidance (Philippians 1:21, 4:13).
“Christ in us” makes knowledge come alive: A knowledge of Christ that moves from biblical study to a personal and lived relationship (John 17:3).

These scriptural foundations emphasize that “Christ in us” is not simply a doctrine, but a spiritual reality lived out through faith and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, transforming the individual from within to reflect Christ in the world.

The subjective dimension focuses on:

the inner and personal reality of this faith.
the living presence of Christ within the believer, a change of being, a transformation of consciousness and heart, making faith a lived reality.
the believer’s involvement is no longer merely that of a follower of Christ, but Christ becomes the center of their life, influencing their thoughts, emotions, and actions from within.
the intimate union where the believer experiences the life of Christ within them, often associated with the role of the Holy Spirit who makes this presence possible and effective in everyday life.

The subjective dimension in “Christ in us” is the inner experience of the presence and transformative action of Christ in the believer’s life, making their faith a living and personal reality.

Once again, the expression “Christ in us” is profound and biblical, but not necessarily understood by all Christians, because, along with the previous expression “We in Christ”, both evoke the mystical unity of believers with Christ (being “in Christ”) and the transformative presence of Christ within them (“Christ in you, the hope of glory” Colossians 1:27), symbolizing an intimate spiritual union, far more than simple membership, and requiring a deeper understanding of Pauline theology.

My condition: Christ is in me, I am transformed, because I participate in his life.

II-2 Union and Communion With Christ

What is the difference between “Union with Christ” and “Communion with Christ”?

Union with Christ was presented in this post as an eternal and unconditional relationship received at conversion, a position where the believer is “in Christ”.
Whereas communion with Christ, as described in the Bible, is a fraternal, intimate, and vital relationship, where the believer shares a common life with Him, founded on love, light, and the Holy Spirit, involving a deep knowledge, a participation in His sufferings and His glory, and mutual adoration, manifested concretely through prayer, listening to His Word, and sharing in His life, particularly through the Eucharist, to fully experience His redemptive presence. It is a dynamic, daily, and experiential relationship that can be affected by sin and must be nurtured by faith to know the fullness of this union, like a branch nourished by the vine.

Union is a fact (we are united with Him), while communion is an experience (we commune with Him).

What are the foundations of communion?
It is founded on:

A union through faith and the Holy Spirit: Communion with Christ is a spiritual reality by which believers are united with Him, receiving the benefits of salvation through the Spirit.
Walking in the light: 1 John 1:7 emphasizes that walking in the light (truth, purity) with God brings us into fellowship with one another and with Christ, whose blood cleanses us.
A common object and share: It is having Christ as the common object of joy, where believers enjoy Him as their portion and treasure, a relationship lived in the light and through the Holy Spirit.

What are the expressions of communion?
It is biblically correct to say that the expressions of communion with Christ belong to the process of sanctification,
because sanctification is the existential unfolding of union with Christ, made alive by the presence of Christ in us. These expressions are:

Prayer and the Word: Jesus encourages persistent prayer (Luke 18:1-8) and promises that if we remain in Him and His words remain in us (John 15:7 “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you”), we will ask whatever we want. Prayer is a continuous dialogue with God. – The Eucharist (Holy Communion): 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 (“23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”) reminds us that sharing the bread and wine is a remembrance of the body and blood of Jesus, symbolizing the sacrifice that makes this communion possible.
Mutual love: Jesus says, “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34-35 “34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another””), showing that our love for our brothers and sisters is the sign of our communion with Him and with God the Father.
Participation in His life and sufferings: Paul speaks of knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection, and of participating in His sufferings (Philippians 3:10 “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death”) in order to be conformed to His death, so that we may attain the resurrection.

What is the purpose of communion?
Its purpose is:

to know God more deeply, since communion is not just a feeling, but a personal knowledge and a growing intimacy with Jesus, a sharing in His divine nature.
to have lasting joy and peace, since it brings profound rejoicing in Him, a strength that overcomes difficulties, and an assurance that God will answer prayer, as promised in 1 John 5:14-15 “14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him”.

When does communion with Christ begin?
Similar to union, communion begins with regeneration, but it is not yet expressed with clarity, stability, and maturity.
Paul often uses this logic regarding communion: a real beginning, but progressive growth (Colossians 2:6, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him”). This means, to be faithful to Paul’s thought, that communion with Christ begins at regeneration,
but it develops, is purified, and deepens throughout the process of sanctification.

Metaphor of Union and Communion
To better understand this, we can use metaphors to illustrate the difference between union (the fundamental unity of the believer with Christ through faith, like a marriage) and communion (the daily relationship, the shared intimacy, like living together and sharing every moment); for example, union is being married to Christ, while communion is the married life where everything is shared, day after day, in a growing intimacy thanks to the Holy Spirit.
This metaphor allows us to better understand that one can be united without much communion (like a married couple who are distant from each other), but one cannot truly have communion without being united! This is one of the realities of a Christian’s spiritual life.

Another easy-to-understand metaphor for the difference between Union and Communion is to consider Union as “being grafted onto the vine” and Communion as “the flow of sap and life that circulates from the vine (Christ) to the branch (the believer)”.

Union is the unshakable foundation, and Communion is the way in which this Union is lived out daily.

Errors to avoid
Misunderstanding leads to errors.

Beware of a common confusion in saying that “Communion creates union”, since union with Christ is acquired at conversion/regeneration; we do not become more and more united to Christ, while communion with Christ is a lived, nurtured, and deepened relationship, and we learn to live more and more in communion with him.
Error of thinking: being less in communion = being less united to Christ.
Cause: Lack of distinction between status (union) and lived relationship (communion).
Consequences: spiritual insecurity, fear of losing salvation, faith centered on experience rather than on Christ.
Paul’s response: 1 Corinthians 1:30 “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption,” and Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”.
Error of believing: union with Christ is the result of a good spiritual life.
Cause: Disguised spiritual moralism.
Consequences: spiritual pride (among those who “succeed”), and despair (among the weak).
Paul’s response: Ephesians 2:8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—” and Galatians 2:16 “know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified”.
Error of Saying: “I am united with Christ, so my fellowship doesn’t matter”.
Cause: Antinomianism, legalistic reduction of salvation.
Consequences: spiritual neglect, tolerated sin, and theoretical faith without transformation.
Paul’s response: Romans 8:4 “in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” and Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”.
Error of Identifying fellowship with a feeling, or with emotional intensity.
Cause: Psychologizing of the spiritual life.
Consequences: spiritual roller coaster, constant doubt, and confusion between faith and feeling.
Paul’s response: 2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we live by faith, not by sight”.
Error of Thinking: fellowship “happens” through methods and is controlled by mechanical practices.
Cause: Instrumental spirituality.
Consequences: ritualism, frustration, and loss of the freedom of the Spirit.
Paul’s response: 2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”.
Error of Speaking of fellowship with Christ without reference to the Spirit.
Cause: Christology disconnected from pneumatology. Consequences: vague spirituality, carnal effort, and inner confusion.
Paul’s response: Romans 8:10 “But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness” and Romans 8:16 “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children”.
Error in Thinking: the more we grow, the more we are “in Christ”.
Cause: Misunderstanding of spiritual growth.
Consequences: unhealthy spiritual hierarchy, comparison, and loss of humility.
Paul’s response: Colossians 2:10 “and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority”.
Error in Choosing: either union (doctrinal) or communion (experiential), but not both.
Cause: Theological reductionism.
Consequences: dry faith or unbalanced mysticism.
Paul’s response: To hold together “In Christ” (status), “Christ in you” (life).
Error in Believing: dryness = absence of Christ.
Cause: Confusion between presence and perception.
Consequences: discouragement and spiritual escapism.
Paul’s response: Romans 8:30 “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.

I would summarize these errors by saying that when we misunderstand or approximate, or confuse union and communion, we risk destroying either the assurance of salvation or the vitality of the Christian life.

Rest assured
Dear readers, let us be reassured! These errors are only temporary. Paul never imagines the Christian as someone linear, permanently stable, or free from tension. These errors observed among believers do not signify an absence of salvation, nor a failure of grace, but often a misinterpretation of what they are experiencing. Paul says, “The flesh lusts against the Spirit” (Galatians 5:17) and “We groan” (Romans 8:23). We live in the world of the flesh, although we are no longer in Adam, but Adam has not yet ceased to make his voice heard.
The Spirit within us guides us as our inner teacher, and its prompting makes us spiritually aware of these errors. This is exactly what Paul affirms: “The Spirit bears witness with our spirit” (Romans 8:16) and “You have received the Spirit of adoption” (Romans 8:15). Throughout our journey with Christ, there are ups and downs. Paul himself describes this path as a struggle, an adjustment, and a progression.

Let us be assured that these errors will produce real growth, in the midst of persistent fragility. This is exactly the balance described in Romans 8: no condemnation, but a real struggle.

III- Conclusion

1- Pauline Concept of Union

This concept is based on the distinction between:

Our original connection with Adam, which links us to sinful nature and death (fallen humanity),
And our new identity in Christ, a vital spiritual union through faith and the Holy Spirit, integrating us into his life, death, and resurrection, granting us justification, sanctification, and future inheritance, forming a single body with him.

There is a fundamental contrast between:

Life in Adam
And the new life in Christ, where Christ becomes the source of our life and salvation.

Union with Adam (Before regeneration)

Paul explicitly affirms the idea of “being in Adam” in Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—” and in 1 Corinthians 15:22 “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive”.

Can we say: “Adam in us”? Yes! But analogously, not symmetrically to “Christ in us”.

Paul never literally says “Adam in us,” but he described this reality as an inner solidarity with Adam (Romans 7:17 “As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me”), a marked nature (Ephesians 2:3 “a marked nature”), and a domination of sin from within (Ephesians 4:22 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires”).

It is biblically correct to say “the Adamic principle (sin, flesh, death) operating in us” instead of “Adam in us”, which actually expresses the principle of corruption. Paul never presented “Adam in us” on the same level as “Christ in us”, since the former expresses “the inherited condition” and the latter “the given presence”.

Union with Christ (After regeneration)

Already presented in this post, union with Christ is seen as a participation in the life of the Trinity; the Father and the Son come to dwell in us through the Spirit, drawing us into this divine relationship of love and communion.
The decisive transfer from Adam to Christ is the very heart of Pauline thought.

Before regeneration, we are in Adam, and the Adamic principle (sin, flesh, death) operates within us. Through the new birth, we are transferred into Christ, and Christ himself comes to dwell in us through the Spirit.

2- Influence of Union with Christ on Prayer and Ethical Life

For Paul, union with Christ is not an abstract theory, but the concrete driving force of every action and every word in the Christian life. This “double union” (we in him / he in us) radically redefines the relationship with God (prayer) and the relationship with others (ethics).

Influence on Prayer

In Pauline thought, prayer is no longer an effort to reach a distant God, but an activity that takes place within the divine life.

The Pauline theological concept of prayer, although not systematically defined, focuses on prayer as communion of spirit with God, often invoking the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, and integrating faith, thanksgiving, and an eschatological expectation of universal submission to God the Creator, based on biblical promises.

Praying “in Christ” (Access): Because we are in Christ, we have direct access to the Father. Paul emphasizes that we pray with the confidence of a child (boldness or parrhesia).
“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence” (Ephesians 3:12).
Christ praying “in us” (The Driving Force): The Spirit of Christ dwells in us and groans when we do not know what to say. Prayer then becomes a collaboration: it is Christ in us who addresses the Father.
“Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Galatians 4:6).
Constant Thanksgiving: Since everything is received “in Christ”, Pauline prayer is saturated with gratitude. The union transforms complaint into praise, because the believer knows that their life is secure in God (Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”).

Influence on Ethical Life

Pauline ethics are not based on a list of rules (the Law), but on the outward manifestation of an inner reality. This is what is called the ethics of “the indicative and the imperative”: Become what you already are in Christ.

The body as a Sanctuary (1 Corinthians 6:15-19): Since our bodies are “members of Christ”, sexual and personal ethics become a matter of respect for Christ who dwells within us. We do not sin against ourselves alone; we involve Christ in the act.
Imitation through participation (Philippians 2:5 “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus”): Paul does not ask us to copy Jesus from the outside, but to allow the mental dispositions of Christ (humility, service) who is within us to take precedence over our own ego.
Love as the bond of perfection (Colossians 3:14 “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity”): Social ethics (forgiveness, patience, kindness) are the direct result of this union. If we are one body in Christ, harming others is tantamount to self-mutilation. Forgiveness is no longer an option; it is an organic necessity since Christ has forgiven us “in him”.

For Paul, the Christian life is not an imitation of Jesus, but the continuation of Jesus’s life through the believer.

3- Christian Journey of Salvation

We cannot live “Christ in us” without first being “in Christ,” and the full realization of what it means to be “in Christ” is experienced through the presence of “Christ in us”. The Christian life is a participation in the life of Christ, both in our position (in Him) and in our experience (through Him).
“We in Christ” and “Christ in us” represent fundamental and complementary aspects of the Christian journey of salvation, where “We in Christ” emphasizes our union with Him and our position in Him (our new identity), and “Christ in us” (the hope of glory, as the Apostle Paul says in Colossians 1:27) highlights the transformative presence of the Holy Spirit, the divine power working within us to sanctify us and lead us to glory, thus forming a dynamic of continuous transformation.
The journey of salvation begins with being “in Christ” (justification, new birth) and continues with “Christ in us” (sanctification, growth, practical life).
It culminates in glorification, where we will be fully “with Christ” and where His work in us will be complete.
These two expressions, often intertwined in Scripture, describe God’s complete work for us: He places us in Christ, and then makes Christ the living power within us, leading us to the fullness of our salvation.